PUBLISHER: WIZKID GAMES | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Heroclix is the most accessible miniatures skirmish game on the market today. The theme is fun (who doesn’t like super-heroes), the models are well-made and pre-painted and the rules are a good balance between tactically interesting and easy to understand. Though you can get into the game by picking up a booster box, new players should look at a starter set and the Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary Miniatures Game is the best starter set we’ve ever seen.
Not just for Heroclix, but as an introduction to table top miniature gaming in general. The box comes with ten models, cards that show you how to play the game, some nifty dice with the Wonder Woman logo on the, a six-piece battle map and a core rulebook. And the usual counters and so on you need to play the game.
You move your heroes and/or villains round the map, using the squares on the map to manage movement. Each player use various powers to achieve goals and beat up the other figures. Powers and damage are governed by the ‘clix’ base; each point of damage is a click on the base and with every click the rules for the model changes slightly. This is all easy to track thanks to the game’s design.
The models are, of course, an all women team. We get Wonder Woman in a modern post holding her lasso but we also get Mary Marvel, Medusa, Silver Swan, Star Sapphire and so on. These are a good mix of visually interesting, tactically useful and narratively interesting. Want to pitch Cheetah versus Miss Martian or Donna Troy versus Wonder Girl? It’s all playable and fun; they really thought about the mix of models here.
The battle map slots together to form one mega-battlefield and packs away neatly into the box; the is a great way to make the game quick to set up. It also means that this box also feels like a skirmish game disguised as a board game, which makes the game more accessible.
The rule-book is clear and brightly illustrated. It’s an easy game to pick-up and this set of rules makes it easy to quickly and clearly understand what’s going on, which means the game does not get in the way of the fun.
They are scenarios to play beyond a simple beat each other up style game and as its own complete thing this really works as a playable board-game that can fit on the shelf. You can use all the components in the box to play others types of Heroclix, so if you want to throw in The X-Men or Galactus, you totally can.
Overall, an amazing box for new players and old hands alike.
